Decorologist: My clients had never been happy with the wall color and had difficulty pulling the room together on their own. They needed a fresh perspective on the bedroom they had been sleeping in for 16 years.

Decorologist: Flooring is a huge part of what you see in any room. It's like the anchor for the space, and it sets the tone. Light-colored plush carpet was ideal for this upstairs bedroom that is typically walked on in bare feet. The flooring here needed to be warm and comfortable, adding to the feeling of serenity and luxury I wanted this room to provide for this couple.

BDMS: What makes this room functional?

Decorologist: This bedroom has plenty of closet space, so we wanted to keep it simple and clean - so as to be as relaxing as possible.

BDMS: Why did you choose these colors?

Decorologist: The wife wanted a spa-like, peaceful retreat at the end of a long, hard day. We decided to keep most of the room neutral - the carpet, the curtains, the bedding - with sky blue walls and accents.

BDMS: What is your favorite aspect of this room?

Decorologist: The symmetry that was created by the placement of the bed, side tables, and bedside lamps. The symmetry you see upon entry to the bedroom helped minimize the asymmetrical sloping ceiling that had been visually distracting.

BDMS: What did your client like the most?

Decorologist: They loved the furniture arrangement and the wall color, but were really thrilled with how we were able to incorporate some of the husband's beautiful landscape paintings in art groupings for the room.

Kristie Barnett is an award-winning expert in Residential Paint Color, Home Staging, & Decoration. She earned graduate degrees in both Psychology and Education in her previous career, and is now an Expert Psychological Stager™, interior decorator, and creator of interior and exterior color palettes both locally and across the United States.

Kristie has authored two books and has written nearly 1,000 design and color articles for her blog and other publications. She is currently a contributing writer for Everyday Home Magazine and The Tennessean newspaper.

Kristie trains and certifies home stagers in her Expert Psychological Stager™ course and produces workshop videos to help homeowners learn how to decorate their homes and choose paint colors. She is currently serving as a Regional Vice President for the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).